CARIBOU, Maine — Of all the resolutions to make in 2015, local health officials are hoping that maybe a few of those goals focus on good health in the New Year. Offering their tips and recommendations were Dr. David Smith, DMD with his own dentist’s office, Cary Medical Center’s Dr. Regen Gallagher, DO, and Occupational Therapist Ryan Thurston, OTR/L and Athletic Trainer Stephen Hopkins, ATC, both with County Physical Therapy.
Among the things to change in 2015, getting rid of all-or-nothing extreme health-oriented goals may be one of those things.
Thurston thinks that the best way to approach exercise — or anything — is to set achievable goals.
“But I think you have to have attainable, realistic goals,” he explained. Goals should be challenging, and large goals can be broken up into smaller milestones that help gauge progress and stay on track.
“That’s what we do here at the clinic as well — set a long-term goal and a short-term goal,” he explained.
Anything other than instant gratification may be difficult for some, but a quick fix approach won’t produce long-term results for diet and exercise.
If 2015 is the year for dropping 50 pounds, for instance, Thurston doesn’t want that resolution to be “lose 50 pounds.”
“Instead,” he offered, “say ‘I want to lose 3 to 5 pounds a month for the whole year. By the end of the year, your 50 pounds is gone.”
Go outside
Instead of channel surfing on the couch all winter long, Hopkins suggests giving the outdoors a try.
He acknowledged that yes, “Maine is cold for a long time,” but that doesn’t negate the necessity for physical activity.
“Snowshoeing, cross country skiing, snowboarding,” he offered, “It’s fun.”
That doesn’t mean trying to attempt a 50-mile cross-country ski trek on the very first try. Those who’ve been sedentary for a while could, instead, try appropriate activities like snowshoeing.
“Snowshoeing is a great beginner level activity,” Hopkins said. “You can start with easy walks, then add hills or any terrain. With the snow covering the ground, you can go anywhere in the woods and make an adventure out of it.”
To make getting outside easier, Thurston suggests breaking down mental obstacles first.
“If you can force yourself to get outside and get into that habit, you may actually like it more than you thought you would,” he offered.
Stop slouching
If the word “posture” makes you adjust your stance, it might be something to work on in 2015.
“Posture is everything, and you take that into every area of your life,” Thurston explained. “The way you sleep, the way you sit at a computer, drive a car, look at your cell phone while texting — posture in every aspect of your life is significantly important and its primarily what we work on here in the clinic,” Thurston described.
He estimates 95 percent of the work he does at County Physical Therapy focuses on posture and postural correction — even posture during exercise to make sure the body is in its safest position.
Correcting poor posture starts with thinking about it.
“If you’re on that computer, make sure you’re taking breaks and recognize how you’re sitting,” Thurston suggested. “Take that extra second to think about your posture.”
More water, less junk
Society as a whole may be chronically dehydrated, but the solution is as simple as walking over to the tap and getting a glass of water.
“Your body needs adequate nutrition and hydration to for every aspect of your body to function properly,” He said.
There are different schools of thought when it comes to diets, but the basics are simple.
“More fruits and vegetables,” Hopkins said plainly, “Less foods high in saturated fats and sugar, and portion control.”
Plus, keep everything (including water) in moderation.
As general guideline, Thurston suggests folks shop the perimeter of the grocery store where the foods are fresher.
Nutrition and hydration are especially important when adding exercise to your schedule.
“If you’re going to add an exercise program, and you’re dehydrated, your exercise program is going to fail,” Thurston cautioned, mentioning that fatigue sets in easier with dehydration. In addition, being dehydrated leads to hunger, which means you’ll be eating more.
Quit smoking
“If you do smoke, we understand it’s very difficult to break that habit,” Thurston said.
But instead of the common health reasons for quitting smoking — better breathing, better circulation, reduce risk of cancer — Dr. Smith explained that smoking might hide symptoms of periodontal disease.
“It covers the fact that your gums are bleeding because nicotine shuts down the blood vessels, so you don’t bleed,” the longtime dentist explained.
A good physical cleaning stops both periodontal disease and tooth decay — like proper flossing and brushing — but masked symptoms of periodontal disease could keep smokers form knowing there’s a problem.
Start flossing
“If I had to choose just one — brushing and flossing— I’d choose the floss,” Dr. Smith said somewhat reluctantly.
But that’s the step too many people skip.
That’s why Dr. Smith really wants folks to use the new year to start physically taking care of their mouth by brushing and flossing — and schedule a good cleaning, if it’s been a while.
Because more and more folks are properly brushing, flossing and using a fluoride toothpaste or mouthwash, Dr. Smith is seeing fewer patients losing teeth from periodontal disease.
“The dental hygienist can do a great deal to help them, and if they do their home care, a lot of it is reversible,” he explained, “But if your gums bleed, there’s something wrong.”
To help get into the habit, Dr. Smith suggest passing out floss following dinner, or even setting the container of floss down where the TV remote is.
“You’ll go around your mouth 3-4 times and not even think about it while you’re watching TV, and you’ll really do a good job flossing,” he suggested.
A little exercise is better than none
If climbing a flight of stairs leaves you winded, maybe it’s time to take the stairs more.
“Exercise doesn’t have to take the form of going to a gym and lifting weights or running on a treadmill,” Thurston said. “If you have 10 minutes, you can do 10 minutes’ worth of exercise and do that three times a day — or as many times as you want.”
Too frequently, he sees folks adopt an “all or nothing” approach, where they feel anything less than a full hour of exercise is a waste of time.
“It’s not a waste of time,” Thurston emphasized. “Ten minutes is better than zero minutes.”
If you’re ready to start an exercise plan, talk with your doctor or trainer about finding an exercise program that works on functional fitness.
“That way, you’re building entire body strength, you’re doing it with proper posture, and you’re doing it in a way that will avoid injury in every aspect of your life.”
Stick with it
From an athletic training perspective, Hopkins wants folks to exercise in 2015 and stick with it — but don’t stick to the same routine day-in day-out.
“You don’t want to do the same thing over and over — mix it up so your workout is exciting and doesn’t become boring,” he suggested.
Working out with a friend is also a great way to have fun and increase accountability for making it to the gym.
“If you have an appointment with a buddy, you’re less likely to blow it off because you have a responsibility to a friend,” Hopkins said.
If your friends aren’t interested, sign up for one of many workout classes offered in the area and keep in mind that all exercise programs need to be individualized.
Keep a schedule
Whether it’s summer break from school or adjusting to life as a retiree, keeping a schedule is important for wellbeing.
“All of a sudden you have no sleep schedule, you have no eating schedule, no work schedule, and that can really affect your life,” Thurston outlined.
Instead, Thurston recommends going to bed at certain time and waking up at a certain time, while scheduling times to eat.
“If you have the luxury of having that much free time, set aside a workout time at a certain time of the day where you can say — an hour or 20 minutes — ‘this is my workout,’” Thurston suggested.
Preventative care pays off
One dental crown costs approximately the same as five years of dental cleanings and X-rays.
“It’s much less expensive to get stuff done when it’s small than to wait until you have to have extractions and talk about things like partial dentures, dentures, implants or bridge work,” Dr. Smith said.
Some people are afraid of the dentist’s office — but Dr. Smith joked that patients who see the dental hygienist regularly may not have to see the actual dentist at all.
The long and short of it — keep your mouth clean.
“It takes 24 hours for a single bacteria to multiply enough times to make a colony that puts out acid, which causes damage,” the dentist described, explaining that folks should thoroughly brush and floss twice a day.
Folks over the age of 50 need to be extra attentive, particularly if they take medications that have dry mouth as a side-effect.
“Dry mouth is especially bad, dentally, because you get decay in very funny places,” Dr. Smith explained. “It’s non-typical decay that you get and it’s fast — and it’s pretty virulent.”
Try going for a run
For those looking for an exercise that doesn’t require a lot of equipment, can be done just about anywhere, anytime with anyone or without anyone at all and that offers big health benefits, Dr. Gallagher asks folks to consider making running their new healthy habit in 2015. Pick from one of the many, many couch to 5K programs, lace up your sneakers and you are ready to go.
“The keys to becoming a good runner are consistency and a gradual progression in time, distance and speed,” Dr. Gallagher suggested. “Many people find signing up for a race helps motivate them to keep with the new habit, but don’t feel like you have to race if you run. It is all up to you!”
Dr. Gallagher explained that regular running offers many short and long term health benefits including improved overall cardiovascular fitness, less depression and anxiety, better mental clarity, reduced risk of certain cancers and a longer overall lifespan compared to non-runners. “What’s not to love?” she questioned. “Be sure to check with your doctor before instituting any exercise program, however to be sure it is the right one for you!”
